Who is Fabrizio Romano and how did he become football’s biggest newsbreaker?

If there is one phrase that makes football fans lose their minds it is “Here we go.” Those three words turned Fabrizio Romano from a young Italian reporter into the face of the transfer window. His posts decide when fans can celebrate panic or refresh their feed for the fiftieth time. But who exactly is Fabrizio Romano and how did he become the man every agent club and fan watches during deadline week?

From Naples to the newsroom

Fabrizio Romano was born in Naples on 21 February 1993 and grew up obsessed with football. While most teens were figuring out what they wanted to do he was already chasing transfer gossip for small Italian sites. He studied at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and turned that early passion into a career.

At 18 Romano caught his first real break. A contact linked to Barcelona’s youth system tipped him on Mauro Icardi’s path from La Masia to Sampdoria. That led to a proper scoop and from there he realised he could make a living out of breaking stories. Not long after he joined Sky Sport Italy.

The making of “Here we go”

Romano spent years building relationships with agents scouts and club directors across Europe. By his mid twenties he had a reputation for being fast and reliable. Then he did something simple and smart. He turned accuracy into a brand.

“Here we go” started as a phrase he used only when a deal was fully agreed. Now it is the modern version of a breaking news siren. Fans know not to take it lightly. When he says those words the paperwork is basically done. That clarity made him stand out in a sea of fake accounts and clickbait.

Romano also understood that football news is not just read anymore. It is consumed in real time. He made X his newsroom and took fans inside the process with short updates. Bid submitted. Medical booked. Contract signed. It is journalism designed for a timeline not the back page.

More than just a reporter

Today Romano is more than a reporter. He runs The Daily Briefing newsletter and site. He hosts the Here We Go podcast and fronts regular breakdowns on YouTube, including this deep dive on Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United. He has contributed to major outlets like The Guardian and CBS Sports while keeping his direct line to fans through social. He even won a Globe Soccer award for Best Football Journalist in 2022.

The method is consistent. Verify with multiple sources. Be clear when talks are ongoing. Save “Here we go” for the finish line. It is obsessive work. During transfer windows he has spoken about running on little sleep and living with his phone in his hand. That relentlessness is why his updates feel definitive.

The moments that made him massive

Every reporter has landmark scoops. Romano’s include Cristiano Ronaldo’s shock move back to Manchester United in 2021 — the tweet that practically broke the internet:

Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, here we go! 🚨🇵🇹 The deal has been completed between Juventus and Man United. Fee around €20m with add ons. Cristiano has accepted the contract proposal. Medical to be scheduled soon. #CR7 #ManUtd https://t.co/8wC2V1Z9D9

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 27 2021

Within minutes BBC Sport followed with “Cristiano Ronaldo to Man Utd: ‘I’m back where I belong’” confirming the details he had already posted. Brighton’s denial-then-confirmation of Marc Cucurella’s move to Chelsea in 2022 and Enzo Fernández’s midnight paperwork saga in 2023 only added to his reputation.

Moments like these turned Romano into the middleman between football’s private rooms and the global audience. If he posts it the world pays attention.

It is not luck. It is discipline. He waits until a deal is fully confirmed before using the catchphrase. If talks are ongoing he says that. He avoids snark. He credits rival reporters when they beat him. That tone matters. In a noisy market neutrality reads as authority.

With that reach comes scrutiny. Some argue transfer reporting can slip into PR because agents have agendas. Others say real time updates add pressure to negotiations. He has faced questions about commercial work near his journalism which shows how sensitive the ecosystem is when one feed moves attention. There is also the modern reality that a player may learn about a move from a viral post before an internal call. It shows how powerful the public timeline has become.

Romano proves that niche expertise plus consistency can beat scale. He is a case study in building trust one line at a time and packaging it for the platforms fans use. Ten years ago a back page would carry a splash the next morning. Now the splash hits your phone first and the back page follows.

Whether you love the transfer circus or roll your eyes at it Romano made this beat must watch. He built a brand on being fast right and trusted. When he posts those three words football stops. Here we go.